missionary [mish -uh -ner-ee]
Examples Word Origin
See more synonyms for missionary on Thesaurus.com noun, plural mis·sion·ar·ies. Also mis·sion·er. a person sent by a church into an area to carry on evangelism or other activities, as educational or hospital work. a person strongly in favor of a program, set of principles, etc., who attempts to persuade or convert others. a person who is sent on a mission . Show More
pertaining to or connected with religious missions . engaged in such a mission , or devoted to work connected with missions . reflecting or prompted by the desire to persuade or convert others: the missionary efforts of political fanatics. characteristic of a missionary. Show More
Origin of missionary From the
New Latin word
missiōnārius, dating back to
1635–45. See
mission ,
-ary Related forms non·mis·sion·ar·y , adjective, noun, plural non·mis·sion·ar·ies. Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words for missioner herald ,
evangelist ,
apostle ,
pastor ,
promoter ,
preacher ,
propagandist ,
messenger ,
minister ,
clergy ,
teacher ,
converter ,
revivalist ,
clergyperson ,
proselytizer Examples from the Web for missioner Historical Examples of missioner She at once inquired if she could be permitted an interview with the Missioner .
It was designed and built by Robert Aitken the famous Cornish missioner .
Puffin has been a Missioner , and he is a wonderful organizer.
Was it possible that Nada and the Missioner had not escaped its fury?
And she's got faith in me, and would go with me to the Missioner 's tomorrow.
British Dictionary definitions for missioner a less common name for missionary a person heading a parochial mission in a Christian country Show More
a member of a religious mission Show More
of or relating to missionaries missionary work resulting from a desire to convert people to one's own beliefs missionary zeal Show More
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for missioner n. 1650s, from missionary (adj.). Missionary position attested by 1963, said to have been coined by Kinsey (1948), who identified its origin in work done by Polish anthropologist Bronisław Malinowski in Melanesia in the 1920s; allegedly from the term used by South Pacific peoples to describe what Christian missionaries promoted to replace their local variations. By late 1960s it became the general term for this type of sex, formerly also known as the English-American position .
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adj. "sent on a mission," 1640s, from Modern Latin missionarius "pertaining to a mission," from Latin missionem (see mission ).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
